Please post your comments, stories, and reflections here on the 2008 Whitewater Walk. Big plans are underway for the 3rd annual walk. Check back frequently to see what your fellow walkers are doing.
Thanks,
Diana
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I wondered if I was up to the walk this year. In preparing for the third year of walking the enitre route I didn't feel as challenged as I did the first two years. Would I see anything new, would I learn anything new about the Whitewater Region? I've been very busy leading up to this walk, would I even have the energy to complete the walk......Day 1 Wayne County......Seems that in preparing for the walk this year I had forgotten how this valley can inspire a person. Standing in the beautiful gorge of the east fork of the Whitewater River in Richmond with many new walkers, listening to the Rev. Gene Spicer (always an inspiration) talk of the beauty of nature and bless our walk I felt my spirits start to rise. New faces, new names, new stories.... maybe I would learn new things about our valley, and before I knew what happened my feet start itching (not the kind you need to scratch) to walk.
We started our almost 10 mile trek crossing the Whitewater River on a bridge with a view that is breathtaking, if you don't have a fear of heights. Unfortunatley one of our walkers has that fear and did not want to cross. Others that don't have that fear came to her aid. "Just close your eyes and we will push you across." (notice that they did not say 'guide' you across) Tonya closed her eyes, trusted her friends, and across the bridge she came laughing all the way..... and I remembered how this region comes together to help one another. As we walked through the gorge we saw a lot of evidence that 'Ike' had passed thru here last Sunday. Yet with all the damage he created it didn't spoil the beauty of this gorge......and I remembered how beautiful the valley we live in is.
Leaving the gorge and then Test Road we headed south on Abington Pike. Our first year to travel this route.....something new. While walking this route Karen explained to me the fund raising efforts to remember the musical history of the gorge by placing medallions in honor of early musicians along the
walk of fame. 21 medallions are now in place.....and I remembered how proud we are of our history and how hard we will work to preserve it. If you have not seen the walk of fame in the gorge you should!....something new.
We walked, we talked, we laughed as jackets needed in the early morning chill started to come off while the sun rose in a crystal clear blue sky and began to warm us.....and I remembered how contagious laughter can be.
As we walked different leaders arose. Crystal being one of them. Early in the day she had stated she wasn't sure she could walk the entire way and was very glad there was a support vehicle in which she could get in when she was to tired to finish. Not only did she finish but set a pace that the rest of us had trouble keeping up with and was the first to reach Abington......and I remembered the joy of being challenged to set and
complete a goal.
But I think my favorite part of the day was when arrived in Abington at the general store, where we thought we would have lunch (we just thought we were starving) only to find them closed. We sat on the front porch and shared thoughts about our journey that day when we noticed that Sharon was missing. Someone mentioned that she had forgotten to visit the port-o-let at the beginning of the day and had visited Starbucks just before she arrived to start the walk. Across the street sat a charming little church where services were being held. Surely they had a restroom and Sharon had gone to find it. We waited, talked, waited some more, talked some more, waited some more and talked some more when Sharon finally returned with a new story. It seems after sneaking into the church, as not to disturb the service, Sharon had searched for the restrooms in the basement of the church. You would think they may be down there but alas they were not. Not to be deterred, (mother nature wouldn't allow for that) Sharon noticed that on the back row of pews was a familiar face. Quietly walking to that familiar face in the back pew, she leaned down and whispered the question of where were the restrooms? A smile crossed this friend's face as he pointed to the front of the santuary where there was a door. We all got quite a chuckle thinking about Sharon walking to the front of the church during the service to find the restrooms. But I think the best part of the story was Sharon's reaction to leaving the restrooms and hearing the congregation singing a song of praise.....and having the same feeling of praise as she had found the restrooms!
Day one of the walk of 2008 is complete and I remembered why I do this every year!
Looking forward to tomorrow.....Candy
Sometimes walking can be such a burden when you think of getting up and just going to do it. Every year we say I'm going to get healthy this year as you hold your glass of wine high in the air and the clock strikes twelve. Two years ago some people had an idea to take a little walk to raise awearness of the Whitewater Valley and the Whitewater Canal. They decided to walk the corridor from top to bottom. Some said it was a cute idea as they laughed to themselves. I decided to go along to see what happens to people when they walk 10 miles a day. Does their color change, do they pass out what happens. Well to say the least I finished the journey ( not an easy task for a 285 lb. Man ). Well its year three of the journey starting today. Not so sure I'm up to it after a little fight with a chainsaw three days ago that I lost. At 5:00 A.M. This morning it was time to get up and prepare for the walk. A little bandage change and dressing and off to Richmond, Indiana to start at 7:30 A.M. How could you not be inspired to walk when you start off with a few words from the great Rev. Gene Spicer. If you have not had the pleasure to meet this man you are missing out. Gene has had more than his fair share of bouts with health issues. What is it about a church service in the morning fog and dew, standing in a circle around Gene. 8:15 A.M. And its off and walking. The thrill and anticipation starts. Besides how can you go wrong when you are the only man walking with 7 or 8 women. You learn all kinds of things about women problems and marriages and work and the list goes on including golf from the short tees. In about three hours we will be in Abbington. As I always say if you have not walked in your neighborhood you haven't seen your neighborhood. You see things that you had no idea existed. You have a lot of time to clear your mind and think. As the day goes on it gets easier until you think you should be done by now. One foot in front of the other step by step you keep moving. Well this is the way they did it years ago. There is plenty to talk about and sometimes I tend to want to walk alone to just think and take it all in. We reached Abbington about 11:30 A.M. Before it ever really warmed up. Then the store that you had planned on eating at is closed on Sundays. Well that is not as hard on me as it is on the whining women. They have to let their coffee out. Oh look a little church across the street, they should have a restroom. A couple go over and one returns very quickly. The other we find out went into the congregation during the sermon and asked to use the restroom that you have to go to over by the pulpit. Needless to say she made a lasting impression. The day is now over and Cheves our support driver who is the best you can get will take us all to our cars to retire for the day. Day one is done and 10 miles in the bag. 93 miles to go. I will try to write more about the trip each day.
Day two has arrived at 5:00 A.M. Once again. The pain is not too bad other than the chain saw wound is still trying to keep me down. This morning we will arrive at Hagerstown, Indiana and walk south to Milton, Indiana. This day has turned out to be another wonderful day as the sun comes up its a little cool but very enjoyable. As people start to arrive for the walk again today there are some new faces. Our new escort driver is named Steve, and seems to be as good as any but I will have to let you know at the end of the day. Bob has joined us again this morning and he is a pleasure to be around, he is a hard working man who joined us this year and is very active and a fast mover. Jerry has joined us also today, he is our local Historian for this area. If Jerry doesn't know it only his wife may. Phillis is a history buff also, they both do their homework very well. Phillis will join us later in the day. Also with us today is Waunita, how do you explain her. She is just plum crazy. I mey Waunita for the first time on last years walk in Union County. I thought wow this woman is as mean as a snake, only to find out she is as sweet as they come. Also we had Roy and Cathy the windmill people. We traveled west on state road 38 into Hagerstown, and then south out of town. If you have never been to Hagerstown the historic structures are fantastic. The Candy Factory was our first stop, it was well worth the stop. They make some of the finest Candy around, and they are very welcoming. We traveled out past the Autocar Factory and the Toy Factory to the Airport. Who knew that Hagerstown had an Airport. Then out to the scout lake. Then on to Cambridge City to the fine eatery called Lumpies. If you like tenderloins this is the place to have one. They also have a daily special, but on Saturday the special is order off the menu. I thought that was funny. We then headed for the Venton House to meet with a bunch more walkers to go to Milton. Cambridge City is a lot like Hagerstown, it is rich with history. If you dont believe me just ask Phillis, she will be happy to tell you. We followed the Canal remains to Milton where we went to see the divided cemetery. This all really cool. The paving company built a building over top of a church. Now its on to Roy and cathies house to see the wind mills. Roy rebuilds old worn out wind mills. On any given day you can drive by and see Roy up on the tower in his front yard working on his treasures. At that point I decided the chain saw may be winning, I rode the rest of the afternoon with Steve. He is every bit as good as Cheves we had yesterday, but then again I've not seen a bad driver at Wayne / Union County Transportation. This was Steves first time supporting us and he was having a great time of it. I think he may be hooked. After a snack at the Old Milton School, we then traveled down to the old culvert. TThis is one of the great things to see. A stone arched culvert that was 125 feet long. Part of it has fallen but we are working to try to get it restored. If you are interested in this it is a great thing to get involved in. Nothing really funny today like the restroom stint yesterday, but it was all in all a great day again. Tomorrow I will tell you about Fayette County and Connersville, Indiana. Home of the Whitewater Valley Railroad. Lets hope the chain saw loses tomorrow.
Ron
Day three and the score is Ron 2 Chain saw 1 . Yes I did manage to walk the entire route today. Today is a little different, we walk in Fayette County and also in Union County. Last year I walked in Union County which is a much harder walk than is in Fayette County. But with the leg wound I decided it would be best to go to Fayette County. It is still a lot of fun walking through the Connersville area. You always get some good walkers there, like Brenda who is always fun to laugh with. Cindy who is an insurance agent here and used to be very involved with a lot of different projects. We also had one of Connersville finest Police Officers Heidy with us. She was a strong walker and kept a nice pace. Also we had a lady by the name of Katrina who lived along the trail so she was kind enough to let us make a restroom stop so we had no more incidents like Sunday Church. Her and her husband obviously take a lot of pride in their home and their yard. We had a first for the three years I've been doing this, today we got stuck on the road because of a rail road crossing. It was ok, it was a short train. During the walk we were brought up to speed on the new Mayor, they said they loved him. I think that they have to say that. Brenda's brother was our support driver, he was kinda different as he supplied us with music from his car. We walked to the Whitewater Railroad rail yard. If you enjoy old trains this is a nice experience for you. I would like to say hello to the great volley ball team at St. Micheals school and congratulations on another win Monday night. Those girls really know how to play the game. We also walked past St. Gabrials Church, I was able to get some great pictures of the steeple on their church. We also seen the school kids setting off rockets in the park, science class I assume. When I'm out on these walks I always take several hundred pictures. There is a lot of unique things along this route. Like the Elmhurst Mansion, Heidy says her five year old son says look mom its the Whitehouse. It also is a sight to see. Tomorrow we walk on water from Liberty , Indiana to Brookville, Indiana. Then we will attend a ribbon cutting for the new Byway. The Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway has it all. If you are looking for a good week long vacation this is a great place to do it. I won't have a chance to write tomorrow because tomorrow we camp, but I will do it on Thursday. Tomorrow I know we have about sixty people walking from State Senators on down. And for the last thing GO GO GO St. Micheals Girls Volleyball, your friend POP.
Ron
Day four and what a day it was. This day is very special almost every year. This is the day we walk on water. I know how you ask ? The great people at Kents Harbor bring out pontoon boats for us to board at the top side of the lake and we stroll down south to the Bonwell Boat Ramp. This year because of the number of dignitaries we had we had to have four boats and Kents Harbor took care of us. We were able to tie all four boats together thanks to their great Captin's, so we could then have a huge floating barge. We could walk from one boat to another and talk to everyone, well some people slept, (SORRY PHIL) but all in all it was a great time. If you ever want to know anything about the Brookville Lake ask at Kents Harbor. We then had a huge picnic in the middle of the lake. It was a really good time. Many people were a part of this to make it all come together, so I'm not going to name anyone because I will forget someone. But we had State Senater's and their wives, many of the heads of many departments, and of course our dedicated walkers. After our four hour tour we then headed to do a gathering at the Whitewater State Historic site to dedicate our new By-way. The event was very special to all of us, many of us have worked for several years to get this all done and we did. WE DID IT, was the battle cry from the grounds surrounding the tent. They unvailed the new By-way sign, that was designed by a great artist Paul. Paul worked for months to get the approval of everyone. This event was very special to Paul, Sherry, G.I., Jo, Jean, Joe, Dave, Brenda, Nancy, Cindy, Bob, Jerry, Phillis, Phil (who finally woke up), Brian, Renee, Don, Chuck, Cathy, Blanche, Jim, Deb, Wanietta, Linda, Jud, Roger, Randy, Carole, Pammy, Myself and Candy. Most of Candy. Thanks also to the Metamora Volunteer Fire Dept. and the guys at the Whitewater State Historic Site. We then moved down the highway to cut the ribbon. As Senator Jackman held the sign high in the air the connection was made between the Ohio River Scenic By-way and the National Road Scenic By-way. After the ribbon cutting we then went to the Hearthstone Restaurant and all signed the new sign. It was a very special time. We then all reloaded the busses and headed north to the Quakertown Log Cabins for a cookout. After some more talking and a little whinning ( SORRY PHIL ) we ended the night there. Oh by the way chain saw 1 myself 3. See you tomorrow.
Ron
Day five is another exciting day. Today is one of my favorite times to walk. This is when we walk from Laurel, Indiana to Yellowbank Trail Head. We started at the Laurel Library and walked east to Dam road. We walk down Dam road to the Laurel Feeder Dam. The Laurel Feeder Dam is where the west fork of the river feeds water into the Canal. It is a fantastic place to take photo's. It was built in the 1800's and is in great shape. Most people in the County have not seen this much less the people who visit. If you ever get a chance to go for a picnic this is the place to do it. Then we walk further down Dam road toward Metamora. There are several locks along the way to see and many are in very good shape. The first year I was able to make this trip with the local Historian Paul, and it was an experience I will never forget. About two and a half hours later we arrived in Metamora. Just in time for lunch at the Old Fashioned Candy Store. We enjoyed a chicken salad sandwich and a great milkshake. Bob, Norma and Sherry are a very welcoming face when you enter to the smell of fresh made fudge. Bob is in his eighties and is a fantastic fudge maker. He may not hear a whole lot that you say but he will be quick to tell you a story about farming or about world war two. We call him dad because when you screw up he will be quick to let you know. Norma or better known as mom just likes to sew and she sometimes will tell you a great story, but she mostly likes to listen and laugh. Sherry who was the first to adopt me we call sissy. Sissy just likes to grumble and growl. But she does it in a loving way, (or so she says ). After lunch it was back to one foot in front of the other. Jean our driver will meet us at the end of the trail. This part you can't follow in a car. So Candy, Wanietta, and I are off to the woods. Wanietta caries a back pack that has everything from food to toilet paper, ( She is a little odd ). But she does save your life when you need it. About two thirty we arrived at the end of the trail and finished for the day. It gets a little tougher now several days into it but look at it this way, Me 4 Chain saw 1. Oh by the way the St. Micheals girls volleyball team plays tonight. I'm sure they will win again tonight, they are the best. These girls are going to be an olympic team someday, and if not I know they will all be ok. Allie is the star of the team as far as I'm concerned. She plays like a giant and she can set like non other. She thought it was funny that the team they play tonight is Cambridge City where we walked from. So just remember GO ST. MICHEALS !!! Tomorrow we will do a walking tour around Brookville, Indiana and I really look forward to that. Brookville has a lot of History then we will head out to the steam show for a bit.
Ron
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